Water for All and Always: A New Beginning

The inaugural ceremony of the ‘Centre of Excellence – Water for All and Always’ was held on March 16 at TARAgram Orchha, Madhya Pradesh. The event, in the form of a workshop, aimed to create an understanding of the importance of water by giving an analytical view to the participants. The workshop covered the perspectives of different stakeholders from academic institutions, government bodies and Anganwadi and ASHA workers along with the community. Issues covered included challenges and daily water problems faced by community, technologies and non-structural measures that can be put in place to increase the efficiency of water use in terms of irrigated agriculture, and the means of generating awareness among masses on water quality and its impact on health.

Col. Shantanu Chaudhary, Admin Head, TARAgram Orchha, welcomed the dignitaries on the panel, senior representatives from the Delhi office and all participants from the TARAgram Orchha. He highlighted the bigger crisis of water scarcity that villages in Bundelkhand are facing and that has peaked in every summer. Therefore, an initiative has been taken by the Society for Development Alternatives, with the support of DST, called the ‘Centre of Excellence – Water for All and Always’, where knowledge will be provided on the patterns of using water, ways of increasing groundwater level and productivity using innovative and creative technologies.

The inaugural address was delivered by Dr. K.Vijaya Lakshmi, Vice President, Society for Development Alternatives. She provided an overview of the initiatives taken under the ambit of organisation in semi-arid regions like Bundelkhand and informed the participants about the purpose and importance of the Centre of Excellence. The Centre would be a platform that will function as a one-stop solution for water and wastewater management issues. She also emphasised that the model should focus on an integrated approach, with significant participation of the community. This Centre would be a platform for every individual present in the community and help them evolve in various prospects of life. In addition to this, Dr Arun Kumar, President, Society for Development Alternatives, underlined the significance of three core areas that the Centre should focus on: (a) technology, (b) community involvement and knowledge sharing, and (c) building capacities and capabilities of the stakeholders.

Pratap Singh Khengar, Chief Municipal Officer, Nagar Parishad, Orchha, delivered the keynote address. He briefed the participants about the current situation in Bundelkhand where the problem of water scarcity has massively increased. Most hand-pumps in the region have stopped delivering water and wells have dried up. This has forced the community members to walk several kilometres to fetch water for drinking and other purposes. In order to resolve this problem, various measures have been taken by the central and state governments and efforts are being made to generate awareness among the community members on the management of water for drinking and other domestic purposes.

This session was followed by a presentation on the Center of Excellence for Water Systems Management in Semi-Arid Regions by Sandeep Khanwalkar, Senior Programme Director, Society for Development Alternatives. He talked about the objectives, coverage, organisational structure, process and services provided by the Centre. The main highlights of the session were the approach and use of technology that can be deployed to increase the awareness and efficiency of water use. Also, he emphasised the aim of coming up with a water saving scheme for each and every village in the area and promoting ‘water warriors’ among the community such as ‘Bhoo Jal Jankar’, water managers and water reporters.

During the event, the panellists brought clarity to the content focus, the understanding of the programme and its benefits. Dr K Vijaya Lakshmi delivered the concluding remarks, in which she extended a vote of thanks to the participants of the launch workshop. Also, she underscored the need of creating a benchmark where 20 villages can be taken up as pilot from where a set of observations can be undertaken to launch a full-scale project. Also, she highlighted the need of having an action plan on water quality measures. Additionally, it was suggested that a community radio station – Radio Bundelkhand – can play a significant role in spreading awareness on water and related issues and empowering communities.

Action to be taken:
• Dr K Vijaya Lakshmi suggested conducting a radio survey to analyse the level of knowledge and understanding about water quality and health problems related to it.
• Sandeep Khanwalkar requested the panellists to provide the data or research findings in the area of water management. He highlighted the need to revive traditional water practices of Bundelkhand and building the capacities and capabilities of the community. Steps need to be taken to make it a mass campaign.

Dignitaries on the dias included: • Dr. Santosh Panday, Assistant Professor, Bundelkhand University, • Dr. Sandeep Arya, Assistant professor, Bundelkhand University, • Dr. Kaushal Tripathi, head of department, Mass Communication, •Nayak-ji, Senior Agriculture Development Officer, Niwari, • Sarpanch, • ASHA and Anganwadi workers, • Anganwadi Supervisor, • Pratap Sigh Khengar, Chief Municipal Officer, Orchha, • Dr Arun Kumar, President, Development Alternatives Group, • Zeenat Niazi, Vice President, Development Alternatives Group, • Dr K Vijaya Lakshmi, Vice President, Development Alternatives Group, • Sandeep Khanwalkar, Senior Programme Director, Development Alternatives Group, • Col Shantanu Chaudhary, Administration Head, TARAgram Orchha, • Bundelkhand and DA HQ team members.■

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Sandeep Khanwalkar
 skhanwalkar@devalt.org